Yankee Peddler Festival

Last Saturday while others were visiting the Junk Bonanza & the Country Living Fair, hubby and I decided to stay close to home.

We enjoyed the beautiful September weather at the Yankee Peddler Festival. This festival is held each year for 3 weekends in September in historic Canal Fulton, Ohio.

The location is the scenic Clay's Park Resort & Campground. It is 75 acres of woods and meadows and food, entertainment, and fine arts & crafts.

There are almost 400 exhibitors that peddle their wares in rustic lean-to's and cottages nestled amongst the trees, streams, and meadows. We were given a map upon arrival and we quickly saw that this really covers a large area. Each section has pioneer type names such as Muskrat Cove, Militia Meadow, Possum Run, and Liberty Village.

There was so much food offered. Everything from pizza and french fries to ruebens, turkey legs, apple dumplings, and sausage & pancakes.

How about a Buffalo meat sandwich?

This sweetheart was peeling apples for the fritters:

Coffee anyone?

As we were walking amongst all of the crafting booths, we suddenly heard musket shots and headed over to Militia Meadow to take in the show. It was a mock battle between the Redcoats and the Pioneer Militia.

Here are the campsites for the Militia Men, complete with handmade quilts, cooking fires, and lots of taxidermy!

When we took a break for lunch we sat on the shores of this beautiful, serene lake:


So on to the crafters. As I metioned there were approx. 400 exhibitors, so it was impossible to remember all of them. Here is a small sampling:

Creative gourds.

Adorable Giraffes.

How cute are these Halloween gourds?

Birdhouse anyone?

As some of you may know, I absolutely swoon over anything from nature.

How simple & fun are these garlands?

I want my garden to look like this:

This crafter had the most vibrant, creative pressed flower artwork:

I always love a chair planter, but this artisan went one step further and drilled a hole in the seat back and inserted this cute figure:

This booth had amazing dried flowers. Everything you could think of including my favorite hydrangeas. I did not purchase the dried hydrangea for fear it would shed completely before I could get it home in one piece. I did however bring home some of these breathtaking coxcomb:

Some fun Halloween artwork:

This sign just cracked me up:

I was delighted to be swarmed by butterflies upon entering this little sanctuary:

The crafters were divided amongst those that were "pioneer artisans" and those that were crafters of "today". Such amazing artistry everywhere we turned.

How about these intricately carved beeswax figurines?

There were several blacksmiths that we encountered. It was mesmerizing to watch them work.

Can you guess what these pumpkins are made of? Horseshoes!

This artisan created handmade wooden benches. I would have loved to bring one home with me. Here are his tools:

The Yankee Peddler festival also had stages set up in each area. There were musicians, cloggers, theater troops, and marionette shows. Also, there were random muscians in amongst the paths of the forest:

This couple made beautiful music together on the Dulcimer and Harp:

Before we headed home for the day we stopped for a hot Apple Dumpling served with caramel and vanilla ice cream. Divine! (Sorry no photo, the ice cream began melting and we began eating).

We had such a wonderful day, hubby and I. The weather was perfect and I can't believe I have never been here before. This is located only 45 minutes from home and it has been held annually for 37 years!

If you are ever in Northeast Ohio in September you must add it to your list of things to do!

Have a great Wednesday!!